Stepping out of the forest…

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Remove my ability to speak if my words cannot be selfless and charitable,

Mame my face if it cannot cause another person to smile by looking upon it,

Cut from me, my hands and feet if they do not serve you and my family,

Let all my deeds to be in Thanksgiving to You for this life with which you have blessed me.

Help me to always find solace, peace, hope and most importantly forgiveness at the foot of Your Beloved Cross.

Without you as my focus and beacon of light, I would be eternally lost in this world of the soulless existence.

Lord I ask for forgiveness and plead with you to have mercy on me a selfish and desperate sinner.

I know that You have put this all into being and have set in motion a perfect plan for me in this life.

I ask that my eyes be opened, my lips be quieted, my thoughts to be still so that I might know your will and desire of me.

I pray that one day I will be with You in Your home in Heaven accompanied with all those that I have known and loved, those that have passed before me and those yet to come.

Please send them to guide me, my steps and my thoughts so that one day as enter into Your Kingdom, You’ll engulf me in Your Arms with a Fatherly Embrace and say. ” Welcome home my Daughter, my child”.

For these things I humbly and devoutly pray and with complete certainty know that the Holy Spirit has published these words from my lips and they now reside upon Your Heart until I can be there with You.

Living to love… Sounds beautiful, melodious, poetic, Christian and by the way, the most important commandment given to us by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

So what is love?

Being kin to nature and the forest beings I have spent hours upon hours in the peaceful paradise of the woods, untouched lands with the only paths to follow being that of the deer or rabbits. On one of these excursions, we being myself and my faithful companion and pup Seven, were walking along for at least two hours and this was meant to be a short, quick hike, so foolishly we had no water, no cell phone or supplies of any kind, we were far away from anywhere. The place we chose to explore was well off the beaten path and attached to corn fields that were attached to more cornfields with an occasional separating line of wooded acreage. You could not hear the sound of highways or cars speeding by, it was a Sunday I remember and there we not even farmers in the fields as the corn was almost as high as me, (me being a mere 5’2″ something) and as I even recall the memory now, all you could hear was the occasional wisp of wind passing by and a constant serenade of birds. It was at this moment that I came to the realization that we were indeed lost.

How does this relate to love? Or living to love?

It’s just this, even in the knowledge that we were lost, there was no fear. Oh there was a fleeting second of maybe a sense of anxiety but before it could be embraced it was gone. In the moment that would have ordinarily summoned a very different reaction, well, I found peace. I was away from life as most of us know it and in my heart, my self, my spirit I was standing there alone, surrounded by trees and sunshine and my sweet Seven, in the Presence of what I know to be God. There came to me a sense of freedom and so I twirled around with my arms outstretched smiling and giggling and unafraid. I felt a undefinable sense of being safe and free. I was aware that eventually we would need to find our way out but regardless of the heat of the day, the limited breeze, the lack of water or direction, I was never more calm and in communion with my spirit and the spirit of All that Is. Feeling very much at home with myself, Seven and a secure sense of knowing, we strolled on. I eventually let go of all desire to find a road, for as I danced along I was confident that it would be shown to me in good time. I let Seven be in the lead which he loved for the simple fact that usually it is I who leads him with his leash. What a treat for him! We took the ever so slow and investigative path of Seven, stopping to carefully examine anything and everything that caught our attention. God in His Infinite creativity has been so patient and generous in the details that each leaf, tree and even fallen tree had so much to uncover that one would truly feel that they were in another world. I started noticing how happy I felt, like when I was a child and would lay in the grass of our backyard, using my dogs body as a pillow and dreaming with the huge pine tree that took up the majority of our modest yard. And then I recalled one of the many messages given to us, “Come to me as a child.” We are asked to become like a child, full of wonder, free, giggling and ready to take in all Our Father wants us to see. At this exact moment I was engulfed in or by “love.” The love of God. At this point one could say hours or more and as I shared the sun was shining brightly and it was the beginning of summer. I was not thirsty, I was not hungry, I was not tired although I was sweaty, I had no worries, no anxiety, no fear, I had no directions to take yet I knew that I would arrive, eventually. All was good and I was with God. I began to make up little songs in adoration of Him and even at some points make up my own little words and language. In this space and time I felt at one, in unison with my love for Our Lord and in His love for me. This was many years ago, 10 to be exact. Yet as I sit here to reflecting on love, having had a completely different agenda, an entirely different perspective to share I am certain this what was “meant” to be shared. As you read, you see what has come out of my heart and soul. A simple, child like state of awe, with no props or tools, not even a building or temple, just the opening of oneself to what is, without definition, without ceremony and an openness to allow it to reveal itself, His Self to me. For me this is love, the ultimate love, that when all is stripped away, and you stand alone in His creation you find yourself, your true self, and in finding self, a revealing of Him in you. Our Father is love and we are created in His image and so we too are love. To dance with, sing with and to be lead by this Love has been one of my greatest revelations and the core of my existence. The challenge in my life is giving myself permission to return to this love. Remember, “be more of me and less of the world.” I am forever in search of the opportunity to return to His love. The moral of this passage is this, “He is always there, waiting with open arms and open heart to welcome us back to His embrace.” The space between is our inability to keep earthly matters at bay and give ourselves permission to let go of what we have no control over or what does not assist us in moving forward and run back to He who Is. I am in love with the journey I am on with Our Lord. For without this, my life would hold no true purpose.

This is lovingly shared with you and hopeful that it will bring you closer to your true self and His sincere love for you.

Six days ago I turned 50 years of age. Now what? My husband gave me this blog site as a birthday present “last year.” The “now what” for starters is not to let this go another whole year without creating something that someone out there might find helpful, comforting and inspiring. Another “now what” is my sweet sister who was there in the inspiring and planning of this blog. She has always been my cheerleader! Tears come to my eyes now as I think of all “she” thinks I can do and reminds me regularly. When my memories have become distant and dusty, she brings them back to me as shining accomplishments to be cherished. So this blog is dedicated to my God who is revealed to me every day in many ways, to my husband for being my cornerstone of support and my sister for being the wind beneath my wings.

I give thanks to God for my existence, and my Mom who gave birth to me and provided me with a potpourri of experiences, the good and the bad, because all of them made me the woman I am today. This would not be complete if I did not share how amazing it has been to share this road in life with my best friend and soul sister Shoshana.

Like the autumn leaves that inspire us with their ethereal dance of leaving we too experience loss and transition in the course of our lives. I am forever grateful and anchored by those that were not just a leaf breezing by me, but the tree with its roots planted deeply, always there for me to count on for a constant loving and life giving presence during my journey.

Living to Love and loving you always~ My Father in Heaven, my husband, my sister, my mother and my best friend.